TORONTO, 12 October 2004 — Declining to offer any comment on his country’s defeat by a vastly improved Pakistani side in Karachi on Wednesday, the Sri Lankan legendary spinner Muttiah Muralitharan said international commitments, including a challenging task in the English County Championship, rank high in his priorities.
“If all goes well, I will play for Lancashire next summer,” said the Sri Lankan ace cricketer who had a successful shoulder surgery recently. Muralitharan is expected to play a home series against West Indies in July, but Lancashire has agreed to add penetration to their attack for at least half a season. The 32-year-old off-spinner confirmed reports in Toronto that he will be available for the first half of the season due to his international commitments.
“I have fully recovered from shoulder injury and hopefully I will be back in action soon,” Muralitharan said here Friday. Muttiah is currently visiting Canadian cities, including Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal to raise funds for his Muralitharan Gunasekera Foundation which is helping Sri Lanka’s poor villagers. His weeklong tour will wind up with a grand fund raising dinner in Toronto on Sunday. Muralitharan has had successful seasons with Lancashire, in 1999 and 2001, taking 116 wickets at an average of 15 in 14 first-class matches. “Its great to have Murali on board again. He is an obvious leader in world cricket and will provide an added edge to the early part of the season,” Lancashire cricket manager Mike Watkinson was quoted as saying after signing Muralitharan.
Muralitharan missed the current Pakistani tour because of shoulder injury. Asked that his absence might have been felt in Karachi where Sri Lanka slumped to an eight-wicket defeat in the triangular series, he said: “I would not make any comment on that.”
He, however, said he was “delighted to hear” Time magazine has named him among the 20 Asian heroes under the age of 40. Muralitharan is the leading wicket taker in Test match history with 532 victims from 91 matches at an average of 22.86 with a best of 9-51.
